Martabak 818: A Food Stall in Batam (Indonesia) Specializing on One of the Most “Sinful” Desserts Known to Mankind—Martabak Manis

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This article is part of the Batam Food Trip series. Check out the installments in this series: A2 Food Court | Joyi Bakes (Korean-Inspired Cafe) | Kedai Kopi Harum Manis (Breakfast) | itsumō TART (Japanese-Inspired Cafe) | Love Seafood | RM Sederhana (Nasi Padang) | Sup Ikan 96 (Yam Fish Soup and Chinese Food) | Tearoom by aralee (Cafe) | Warung Guling Pak Made (Babi Guling or Balinese Roast Suckling Pig)

Literally “sweet martabak”, Martabak Manis is an Indonesian sweet pancake that’s a popular street snack. It’s a thick pancake cooked in a lot of butter, folded in half, and stuffed with various ingredients in between, most commonly cheese, chocolate, and even Nutella. No wonder it’s considered one most “sinful” desserts in the world!

In Batam, one of the best stalls for this is Martabak 818. Founded in 1987, this stall boasts of being Batam’s number one Indonesian pancake. So is it really good?

Martabak 818 offers thick and crispy pancakes, with fillings ranging from traditional ingredients (like cheese, chocolate, and peanut) to premium ones (like Cadbury, Nutella, and Skippy). You have the options to choose thick (butter or margarine) or crispy.

The Butter and Ingredients Used in Making *Martabak Manis*

The uncle preparing a martabak manis in a special martabak pan:

Martabak 818 specializes on pandan (screwpine) batter, which is not usual. That explains the green color of the batter, which is also pillowy yet dense at the same time.

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We tried the thick Keju + Coklat (cheese + chocolate). Of course, we chose butter instead of margarine. And the martabak manis bursts with butter in every bite!

*Keju + Coklat* (Butter Small: IDR41,000; Butter Big: IDR75,000; Margarine Small: IDR36,000; Margarine Big: IDR65,000)

The cheese has a nice sharpness and saltiness, while the chocolate add some sweetness. But overall, it’s not too sweet.

We also tried the Cream Cheese + Oreo. This has the same buttery batter and has lots of Oreo crumbs (they didn’t skimp on it). But I hardly taste the cream cheese. Still, it’s a fulfilling dessert.

Cream Cheese + Oreo (Butter Small: IDR55,000; Butter Big: IDR85,000)

So yes, Martabak 818 makes amazing martabak manis and they probably is Batam’s number one Indonesian pancake. While every bite is “sinful”, their martabak manis is surprisingly not too sweet. That’s why I think can easily eat an order or two of it (but don’t worry because I didn’t LOL). Anyway, I highly recommend Martabak 818 to you!

Martabak 818

Address: Ruko Nagoya Paradise Centre Blok H No. 2, Batu Selicin, Kec. Lubuk Baja, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia | Operating Hours: Daily, 1-10PM | Contact No.: +62 811-7568-188 | Facebook | Instagram

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